Joining Chelsea from Real Madrid for a then club-record fee of 60 million pounds, Alvaro Morata was looked upon as the next big striker who would go on rule the goal-scoring charts for the Blues in the Premier League. But, contrary to popular perception, Morata suffered a goal drought that eventually saw him becoming the weakest link at the Stamford Bridge.
Amid high criticism and consistent backlash from fans, the Spanish could only make 45 appearances for the Blues - wherein he scored just 16 goals - before being loaned out to Atletico Madrid until the end of the 2019-20 season. While Gonzalo Higuain occupied his place in the Chelsea and immediately made an impact scoring twice on his home debut, Morata's poor run continued on his first game for Madrid.
Gonzalo Higuain is the 1st @ChelseaFC player to score twice on their home #PL debut for the club since Mario Stanic v West Ham in August 2000 pic.twitter.com/qUSGRoF6we
— Premier League (@premierleague) February 2, 2019
The second-placed La Liga side had a vital opportunity to close the gap on leader Barcelona after they dropped points following a 2-2 draw with Valencia. But, the Diego Simeone side struggled to break down Real Betis before stuttering to a 0-1 defeat at the Benito Villamarin stadium.
Morata was preferred for full 90 minutes, but the Spaniard had little influence on the game. The Madrid forward had four efforts on goal but none managed to go past Betis shot-stopper Pau Lopez. A 63-minute handball by Felipe Luis inside the penalty box gave the hosts a chance to take the lead and Sergio Canales made no mistake from the spot-kick.
Real Betis goal. Barcelona go six points clear on top as it stands. #RealBetis #Barcelona #atleticomadrid pic.twitter.com/hoL7bVHtA0
— Maestro Messi (@Messischip) February 3, 2019
The victory was Betis' first against Madrid since Simeone took over late in 2011. On the other hand, the visitors suffered their first loss in 19 league games on Morata's debut. Simeone's team was unbeaten since their 0-2 loss at Celta Vigo in the third of games. Their latest setback was only the third loss for Atletico in 33 games in all competition this season.
For a man who has been desperate to break away from his slump at Chelsea, Morata did his reputation no good following a poor show on his debut for Madrid. Owing to his lacklustre form, the Spanish footballer became the butt of all jokes with football fans taking turns to troll him on the social media.
Atletico Madrid were unbeaten in 19 games... ...they lost 1-0 today on Alvaro Morata's debut. The Morata Effect. pic.twitter.com/Ww3EJBeI75
— Footy Humour (@FootyHumour) February 3, 2019
Good to see he's setting the record straight on his time at Chelsea
— Roman Bolton (@RomanBolton1998) February 3, 2019
What a coincidence
— Elliot (@JasonKlevra) February 3, 2019
pic.twitter.com/JLHNNVzzR6
— Meryem Benslimane (@MeryemMusic) February 3, 2019
Who's Morata again?
— il_vile (@darialdo79) February 3, 2019
pic.twitter.com/8AGLoto7ii
— MoHaMmEd (@M_ALSALEM18) February 3, 2019
The goal scoring touch eluded him..? But then they weren't playing @Arsenal.. What a bargain he was for the @ChelseaFC chavs...
— alexgray (@gray410) February 3, 2019
Cancer to the team
— sanda farouk (@farouk_sanda) February 3, 2019
Must be thrown into evil ð forest ð¸ ð¤
— Tunschan (@tunschan007) February 3, 2019
Atletico got bumped 60+ mil for a striker that can't finish
— ak (@MufcSameer1999) February 3, 2019

There exists a specific set of skills which is required to be mastered by one to actually qualify as a true basketball enthusiast.
You need to know the game in and out, be it Russell Westbrook's extremely jazzy jackets or Gerald Green's new 'Spiderman' hairdo. You've got to get in sync with the league's culture.
Next, you must practice the essentials of playing the game. In order to shoot that hoop like 'Black Mamba', Kobe Bryant or move around the court like 'The Flash', Dwyane Wade, you must work on your craft.
And finally, and probably the most important criterion of the all (are you ready for this?)... Have fun and enjoy the sport while doing all of the above! Basketball is all about fast-paced action which is a unique blend of brute force and finesse, at the epitome of which, is the National Basketball Association or the NBA.
The NBA has never been more popular in India, expanding exponentially through cities and towns alike. The league has led to making LeBron James, Stephen Curry and James Harden some of the biggest household names in recent times. Indian fans are not only getting up early in the morning, sometimes, even before the sun is out, to watch their idols compete against each other, but also seem be to extremely interested in getting to know more about them, their lifestyle on and off the court, their history with the league and even their nicknames!
But the guys at NBA India expect more from the Indian loyalists and see a lot of potential here. They believe that all the knowledge the league fans have garnered through days and months, should not go to waste. As a means to provide an opportunity to the basketball fans from all over the country to prove their loyalty to the game, a new all-NBA show, Jabong Hoop Wars, is coming to India.
Hosted by the absolutely stunning Benafsha Soonawalla, Jabong Hoop Wars will see some of the most influential online celebrities like Nidhi Singh, Shantanu Maheshwari, Priyank Sharma, Aly Goni, Karishma Sharma and Prince Narula make special appearances in every episode.
The show is all about churning out the best fans from the lot that the Indian audience has grown to become. If you have what it takes to be called a true basketball enthusiast who has the skills and the knowledge about the league and the sporting culture that revolves around it, Jabong Hoops Wars is meant for you.
Great athletes like Lebron James and Kevin Durant had to go through so much of grit and grind and all the challenges put in front of them before actually being worthy of achieving the greatest glory of them all, the NBA championship.
Likewise, the show puts forward some of the most creatively thought-out challenges that bring out the best in the contestants by testing their knowledge and skills related to the game and all the fun that happens throughout the year around the NBA, and believe us when we say that the rewards are worth it.
The NBA fans in India are no less dedicated to the sport than those anywhere else in the world. All they need is a platform to show their love, support and respect for the game and it seems that their search is finally over.

Winter is finally here! Just in case you've been living under a rock, HBO has released a 5-second clip of from the upcoming Season 8 of 'Game Of Thrones', and fans are shook (quite literally).
In case you missed it, take a look:
#GameofThrones returns to @HBO this April. pic.twitter.com/1muHcwJIFJ
— Game Of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) January 7, 2019
The small, barely 5-second clip shows Sansa Stark throwing shade at Daenerys Targaryen when she almost rolls her eyes and snarkily says “Winterfell is yours, Your Grace.”
Okay, first things first, there is a lot of tension that you can feel between these two powerful women.
The two characters have clearly a lot at stake in the cutthroat plotline that they're a part of, as they've survived a lot of gruesome realities to reach where they are right now.
At this point, Winterfell is important to both of them in equally valid ways, which makes this 5-second clip even more interesting.
Obviously, Twitter had their own thoughts on this super frosty interaction and began a war of memes on this ultimate face-off:
Sansa is eyeing Danny up and down like she is a piece of shit tramp her brother brought home. Brienne is looking at Sansa like whew chile, you don't know who you fucking with. @WiCnet #taketheblack pic.twitter.com/sPN2PpFaTB
— I. A. Melton ðð½ (@ijamelton) January 7, 2019
And we're also clenching our fists in anticipation because they're both strong, independent women that we love and would like to see alive for as long as possible.
SANSA IS SO PISSED OFF, WHAT A MOOD #GameofThrones pic.twitter.com/w71PpnutUY
— ella (@sanserya) January 7, 2019
Brienne is all of us. pic.twitter.com/fDptvaAAaJ
— Dany's whoreð¨ð´ (@asongofdany) January 7, 2019
Sansa's tone is clearly reluctant while she welcomes Dany to Winterfell (ahem ahem).
sansa: winterfell is yours also sansa: pic.twitter.com/Z817kcICEN
— hallie (@baerhodey) January 7, 2019
Succession might not be the only thing that creates tension between Jon and Dany. pic.twitter.com/QSbOYw0CeM
— Alisha (@totesnotalice) January 7, 2019
This is how Sansa handed over Winterfell to Danaerys in that new lil commercial ð#GameOfThrones pic.twitter.com/MPhtAGNF8g
— Jazmine McCree (@j_jeanette14) January 7, 2019
...and our dear Jon is clearly aloof, as usual. Sigh.
sansa: winterfell is yours also sansa: pic.twitter.com/Z817kcICEN
— hallie (@baerhodey) January 7, 2019
Danny already knows Sansa is going to be a problem. Jon is, of course, completely oblivious. Boat *** with Danny has him hypnotized. #JonSnowStillKnowsNothing @WiCnet #taketheblack pic.twitter.com/bJNxSa3ggg
— I. A. Melton ðð½ (@ijamelton) January 7, 2019
The internet is also taking sides, (or not)
me watching the Dany and Sansa stans go at it pic.twitter.com/S5aWlpslto
— bri ð± (@flashnezra) January 7, 2019
So the Starks spent years fighting to get winterfell back, then Jon just handed it over to Dany (mother of dragons) in one scene. Wow. I can see why sansa is not happy here. This is a mess, no matter how much we like Dany.#gameofthrones pic.twitter.com/KgZ7Rq25AP
— BLJacksonð·âðð¤ (@JacksonBrittsny) January 7, 2019
Sansa went and graduated from Margaery/Olenna Tyrell school, majored in Cersei's and got a Littefinger PhD. No one is gonna take her home away from her. ð¸#GameOfThrones #JonSnow #SansaStark #Jonsa pic.twitter.com/tyKBiXaDXs
— It's Ok (@merciasilver55) January 7, 2019
This footage was clearly a treat for fans, but we can't wait for a full-fledged trailer soon and then April, when GOT will finally air.
The final six episodes will grace our screens in April and are likely to have been filmed with multiple endings to avoid spoilers.